


Kuye Dase

by ienablu



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, F/M, First Time, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Porn With Plot, Post-Movie(s), Rough Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 20:34:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5679793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ienablu/pseuds/ienablu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey likes it rougher than Finn does. Poe discovers there's a lot more to the story, and it's not an easy fix.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kuye Dase

**Author's Note:**

> Fic I Did Not Mean To Stay Up All Night Writing: volume 327.
> 
> Thanks to saellys.

It is known through the Resistance that Finn played a key role in taking down the Starkiller. The fact that he was a Stormtrooper is usually mentioned after, in a build-up of his heroic actions, and no one in the Resistance has held it against him.

When they pick up quite a few new recruits to the Resistance, Poe is afraid that some of the new blood – who weren't there, could never really understand – might place 'former Stormtrooper' above 'hero' and he makes sure to look out for Finn.

When he sees Finn one morning with a split lip, Poe is instantly on alert. He excuses himself from the other pilots at his table, and makes his way over to where Finn is sitting at a table alone.

"Morning," Poe greets, sitting down across from him.

Finn looks up, blinks, and a large smile spreads across his face. So wide that Poe is irrationally afraid that he's going to split his lip open again. The thought of Finn bleeding makes his blood pump a little faster, and not in the same way seeing Finn smile does. "Morning," Finn replies.

"You doing alright?" Poe asks.

Finn blinks again. "Yeah," he says, but his voice has lost some of its brightness. He runs his tongue over his lip, and looks around. "Rey's fine too," he adds.

Finn is a terrible liar, and Poe guesses that neither Finn nor Rey are fine. And part of Finn's terribly lying ability is the ability to keep it up, so Poe just nods, stares at Finn, and waits.

Finn stares at Poe, takes a few bites of his breakfast, and sneaks a glance up at Poe, looks back down. He bites on his bottom lip, and winces.

"What happened to your lip?" Poe asks, lightly.

"Oh, nothing," he replies, too hurriedly.

Poe sighs. "Listen, Finn, I know we've got some new guys on board, and we need all the help we can get, but if one of them was getting rough with you, we will--"

"What? No," Finn says. "And I mean that as an actual no, and not a denial no."

Poe nods. "That's good," he starts, slowly. "But that doesn't answer the question of who hurt you."

"Rey."

" _Rey_?"

"Bit me," Finn quickly clarifies. "Didn't hurt me. Didn't _mean_ to hurt me."

"Okay," Poe says. It's not okay, and he can't quite parse out why. It may have something to do with the heavy feeling he gets thinking about Finn and Rey together. They'd be gorgeous together, Poe doesn't doubt that, but there's a pang that is not unlike jealousy and want.

Finn looks around. "You wanna take a walk?"

Poe nods. Finn is working on his paranoia, ridding himself of the fear that anyone around him will listen in and snitch to a superior officer at the first chance, but it's a process, and Poe is letting him take his time.

"It was nice," he starts. "We're still... new to this, and still learning about it, and each other, but it's generally pretty good. You know what I mean?"

Not as well as Poe would hope, but he nods.

"So we're... And then she bit me. Like, really bit me. Not the kind of small nips. And it took her a moment to realize it. And she felt bad. And so then I felt bad. And it was hard to explain to her, that I just..."

Poe shrugs. "Some people don't like pain in the bedroom," he says. "Nothing to be ashamed of. She didn’t…?"

“She didn’t try and make me feel bad for not liking it. I didn’t try and make her feel bad about liking it. But it was still…”

“Find out about differing tastes can be awkward.” Poe knows, he’s been there a few times.

“I just like it gentler.”

Just as much as Poe would have thought.

“Softer.”

Poe has thought on and off about kissing Finn. Gentle and soft is how he’s seen it. He’s pleased about being right, but it only deepens the pang of want when he looks at Finn. Which is pretty inappropriate at the moment, given how Finn is talking about the issues he and Rey are having. They are having trouble with their relationship, and Poe wants to help. Not make it worse. Which kissing Finn – gently and softly – right now would definitely do.

Possibly do. Finn is looking at him in a way that Poe has been looked at many times before, and Poe is pretty adept at reading those signals. And if there’s one thing Poe’s learned as a pilot, it’s that he can never know when an attack is going to come, and who is going to make it out alive. Poe doesn’t want any regrets. Or rather, he’d prefer to regret his actions over his inactions.

And so he leans in and kisses Finn. A soft press of lips, especially careful of not wanting to put too much pressure on the cut. He pulls back, and bites the side of his lip. "Like that?" he asks.

Finn just stares at him for a moment. Then takes a shuffling step forward, and tilts his head to the side, and then he's kissing Poe. It's soft, and sweet, and Poe is really enjoying himself, especially when Finn reaches up to curl a hand in Poe's hair. After a few breathless moments, he pulls back. "Yeah," he says, his breath puffing against Poe's lips. "Like that."

Poe forgets that they’re in the middle of a corridor up until he hears Jessika say, “Take it to your quarters, Dameron.” She kicks him lightly in the shin as she passes.

Poe replies with a rather unflattering comment about her parents in Rodian, and then turns back to Finn. He huffs a laugh. Flirting is a strength of his, maintaining a happy relationship is a strength of his, but crossing that bridge never has been. Poe opens his mouth to say something, but Finn beats him to it.

“Rey knows that I like you,” he blurts out. “She– she’s teased me about it a few times.”

Poe can’t help the smile that spreads over his face. “She hasn’t teased me about it yet.”

“Oh, no, she would never do that, she promised she wouldn’t tell anyone that I–”

“She hasn’t teased me about the fact that _I_ like _you_.”

Finn stares at him for a moment, before lighting up with the brightest smile Poe thinks he has ever seen. He reaches forward and pulls Poe in a tight hug, and Poe lets out a surprised laugh. Finn just squeezes him tighter. And then he pulls back. “I should talk to Rey.”

“You should talk to Rey,” Poe agrees.

Finn turns on his heel and hurries off down the hallway.

Poe stares after him. Part of him wants to be in on this conversation. Sadly, he has his own agenda for the day. A good handful of the new recruits are pilots, all claiming to be the best. Poe – best pilot in the Resistance – is not above a bit of bragging, but he needs to test them first, see which one of them can earn those rights.

 

*

 

Rey finds Poe later that evening. One moment he’s heading towards his quarters, going through the assignments of the new recruits – all good pilots, though a few of the braggarts need to be taken down a notch – and then the next moment she’s in step with him.

Poe blinks. “Hey,” he says. He clears his throat. “I take it you talked to Finn?”

She nods. “He’s an excellent kisser, isn’t he,” she says.

He nods. “He is.”

“He says you’re a good kisser too,” she continues. She’s looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “A ‘pretty damn good kisser’ were his exact words.”

“I’m flattered.” If Finn thought that was pretty damn good, Poe looks forward to showing him everything he can do when they’re behind closed doors. But before he gets to that, there’s another bridge to cross. Another bridge he wants to cross. He smiles at her. “And although I think Finn is the most honest, trustworthy person either of us know, you’re welcome to find out for yourself.”

Rey slows down to a stop. She stares at him, uncertain. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”

She continues to stare, continues to look uncertain.

Poe really wants to close the step between them, but it has to be her that makes the first move.

And so he waits.

Patiently.

…somewhat patiently. 

He opens his mouth to say something, but she darts in, and slots her mouth over his. While Finn had been soft and chaste, she’s already pressing against him, her mouth hot against his. She wraps her hand around his neck, her nails coming down to press into the soft skin of his nape. It sends a shiver up his back, and yeah, he can get used to this.

Poe’s breathless by the time she pulls back.

“Yeah,” she says. “I think Finn was right.”

If Poe were to look, he guesses he would still have indents of her nails. “Yeah. He was.” And then he kisses her again.

 

*

 

The next morning, Finn asks what Poe’s plans are for the night.

It’s a good day.

And looking to be a good night. Poe is down his shoes and a sock, while Finn is on his back and without his shirt. Rey is still fully clothed, which is a damn shame, but right now she and Poe are alternating taking leaning in and pressing languid kisses with Finn. Occasionally Rey will pull back Poe to crush her mouth against his, and it’s generally pretty breathtaking.

Up until the alarms blare a few warning sounds. Over the intercom, Admiral Ackbar orders, “Rapier Squadron report to your station. Rapier Squadron report to your station.”

“What’s going on?” 

Poe is already scrambling into his shoes. “If they’re just calling for one squadron, it’s a possible alert. When they call for more squadrons, it’s an attack. Otherwise, they’ll announce an all-clear, and we’ll stay in the air a little longer to keep patrolling,” he rattles off. Adrenaline is rushing through his veins, and he needs to go, now, but he lingers in the doorway for a moment. It’s bad luck to promise to return, bad luck to make a promise that may not be kept. He just nods, and then hurries to his station.

 

*

 

It’s a false alarm, more or less.

It’s a relief, more or less.

Poe is still on high-alert as he powers down his X-Wing, BB-8 beeping at him worriedly as he does. “Don’t worry, I’ll get some sleep,” he tells his astromech. After another beep, he adds, “I promise.”

He doesn’t promise not to make a detour, though.

When Poe returns back to their quarters, they’re both in bed, Finn shirtless, Rey in an undershirt. 

“We started without you,” Finn says.

“And finished too, by the look of it,” Poe says.

“Maybe.”

Poe laughs, and leans against the doorway. “You want me to join in on the cuddling, or should I had back to my quarters?”

Rey snorts. “Finn loves cuddling,” she tells him.

Poe takes the implicit invitation, and nudges the door closed after him. 

“You want me to strip down any?”

“No,” Finn says, voice firm. “You are not allowed to take off any of your clothing.”

Rey snorts louder.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are really not a good liar?” Poe asks, as he shucks off his leather jacket. It’s his secondary jacket, as his old one is folded on a chair in the corner of the room. He grins at it as he toes off his shoes. His forgotten sock from earlier is still lying by the bunk.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Poe replies. He looks at the bed. It’s comfortable enough for two people, but going to be a squeeze for three. “How are we going to manage this?”

Rey moves from her position curled against Finn, and props herself up against the wall. “You can take the middle. And half of Finn.”

Finn grins.

Poe matches it.

There’s a shuffle as he moves under the covers, a few grunts and a few muttered apologies, but finally Poe settles in. He’s lying half on his side, half on Finn. Rey’s back is pressed against his arm.

Into the silence, Finn says, “I’m sorry we started without you.”

“And finished without you,” Rey adds.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this?”

“I am happy with anything,” Poe says, drowsily. He’s crashing from adrenaline, and it won’t be long before he’s fast asleep. Uncertain whether either of them are listening, especially when he can scarcely hear himself, he adds, “Especially this.”

 

*

 

The next morning, Poe wakes up to find that Rey is gone, and that Finn is staring up at the ceiling. Which turns into staring at Poe as soon as he notices Poe’s awake.

“Rey at Jedi training?”

Finn nods. “They keep starting earlier.”

“Have you been awake this entire time?”

Finn looks back towards the ceiling. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve woken up at a set time every day. It’s a hard habit to break. But at least here I can stay in bed.”

“Do whatever you want to do.”

“I don’t know what I want to do. I mean, here, I do,” he says, his fingers gently squeezing Poe’s shoulder, “but with the rest of my day. Rey’s training. You’re off taking care of your squadron. I want to help you, but I don’t know what to do.”

“Go up to any person and ask if they need any help. Most of them probably have a list of things to do, and if they can’t, they know someone who does.” He moves his hand, splays it across Finn’s chest. “You’ve already helped us more than anyone else. If you want to take some time off, you’re allowed to do that. If you want to help out, you can do that too.”

They’re quiet for a few long minutes, Poe just feeling Finn breathe under his hand.

“You twitch in your sleep,” Finn finally says.

Poe shrugs. “Sometimes after any sort of drill, I get a bit…”

“Twitchy?”

“Twitchy,” he agrees. “I usually wake myself up, though, so at least I slept through the night. Hopefully I didn’t wake you up.”

He shakes his head. “I only noticed once I was awake. You know you can talk to me, right?”

Poe shrugs again. “Not much to talk about. Just fragments, worst-case scenarios. By the time I wake up, I can’t really remember anything.” He slides his hand further across Finn’s chest, and shuffles so he’s lying even more fully against Finn.

“Good,” Finn says. Quieter, he adds, “I’m glad you’re okay.”

 

*

 

Rey falls into step with Poe after dinner.

“When you said you were happy with anything…” she starts, before she looks away.

“Presuming that you’re going where I think you’re going, yes, Finn told me that you like it rougher, and yes, I am okay with that.”

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer…” he starts.

“...if you weren’t,” she concludes.

He nods. “C’mon,” he says, and he leads her back to his quarters. He goes over and sits on the edge of his bed.

Rey stays in the middle of the room.

“C’mere,” he says.

She takes a few steps closer.

Poe moves back further onto the bed. As soon as she’s within reach, he settles his hands on her hips, and gently pulls her so that she’s straddling him. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he tells her. When she doesn’t counter the offer, he tilts his head up and kisses the the corner of her jaw. She sighs. He trails kisses down her jaw, then up to the corner of her mouth.

She’s the one that tilts her head to capture his mouth in a fervent kiss. He curls a hand around her neck, wraps his other arm around her back. Her hands go to curl around his shoulder blades. She shifts a few times, a jolt of arousal going through him each time.

He leans down.

“No,” she says. And then flushes. Admits, “I want to be able to feel your back.”

He reaches up to wrap his hand around her neck, and gently tug her down onto him. He presses a brief kiss to the corner of her mouth, and then rolls them so that he’s on top of her. “More like this?” he asks.

Her gaze on him is dark. “Take your shirt off,” is all she replies.

He pulls back, sitting back on his haunches, as he unbuttons his shirt, and pulls off his black undershirt. Her eyes rake over his chest, and he smiles. “Do I get to make the same request of you?”

“Depends.”

He leans back down, slowly, his hips pressing between her legs, his bare torso against her rapidly-breathing chest, and he looks down at her, scarcely inches away. “Depends on–”

She surges up to kiss him again.

Part of Poe is not exactly fond of being interrupted, but on the other hand, the enthusiasm is rather gratifying. He opens his mouth up to her, lets her explore him. Where Finn had been that soft and gentle, she’s fierce and demanding. There’s a way for them to find a common ground on their own, but for now, Poe will enjoy helping them get there.

Rey runs her fingers up and down his back, and his hips stutter in response. The finger pads are replaced by her fingernails. He arches into her touch. “That’s actually quite–” and he can’t finish his sentence, because she digs her nails into his skin and drags them down her back. He’s breathing harshly by the time she tapers off at the small of his back.

She looks up at him, fearful. “Is that okay?”

A little bit more painful than he was anticipating, but it’s within his pain tolerance levels. He just tilts his head down to kiss her for a few moments, before he says, “I should probably take off my pants.”

His pants don’t get further down than halfway to his knees.

 

*

 

Rey’s gone by the next morning.

Finn’s busy talking with Admiral Ackbar, which means Poe spends the day with his pilots. They sometimes need time apart after intense missions, but they drift back to each other soon enough.

The new pilots need to be trained in formations, and Poe is busy running through which ones to start with, as he strips off his shirt.

There’s a laugh beside him. “Who did you piss off?” Snap asks. “One of the new kids? Because please, tell us which one, so we can make sure to stay on their good side.”

Poe makes himself keep a straight face. “Very funny.”

“Seriously, it looks like you got mauled by a wampa or something,” Jessika chimes in.

“Anyone else got any comments?”

It’s all friendly teasing – they know what boundaries they can and can’t push with each other, and there are a few comments that make him laugh. Another pilot ends up getting the teasing shifted to them, and they’re all in good spirits as they make their way to the launch pad.

Jessika claps him on the shoulder, clear of any scratch marks. “As long as you’re happy and safe,” she says. Her expression doesn’t change, but her voice is a degree more serious as she asks, “You _are_ happy and safe, right?”

He nods.

“Good. Have fun.” And then she gives him a rude Rylothian gesture.

He laughs and responds in kind.

 

*

 

Poe stops by their quarters.

“They’re training late,” Finn says. “Rey’s been spending more and more time with Master Skywalker. Sorry. I know you were probably… actually I don’t know…”

“I enjoyed having sex with Rey,” Poe says. He strolls into the room, and lounges on the bed. “And I will enjoy having sex with you, and having sex with you and Rey.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“Call it a prediction, then,” Poe tells him. “One that I’m ready to find the result of, whenever you are.”

Finn stares at Poe intently for a moment, then leans in and kisses him.

It’s not chaste, but warm, sweet.

After the whirlwind of Rey last night, Poe takes his time with Finn, enjoying the slow removal of each piece of clothing, the inch by gorgeous inch reveal of his body. Finn is no particular hurry, his hands running lazily up and down and Poe’s sides. Once Poe’s shirt is flung to a corner of the room, Finn spends long minutes exploring the skin of Poe’s chest, mouth ghosting over every inch of him.

Finn stops when he reaches one of Rey’s scratches that curved around his ribs. He bites his lip, and looks down at Poe uncertainly. “You’re enjoying this, right?”

“Of course.”

“I’m not… bad at this, am I?”

Poe shakes his head. “Not at all.”

“So the reason why me and Rey are…”

“It’s a difference in tastes. You two will figure it out eventually. But trust me,” Poe says, kissing the corner of his mouth. “You are very good at this.”

Finn smiles, slow, bright, genuine. “It gets better.”

Poe matches it. “I don’t doubt it. C’mere.”

 

*

 

There’s a knock at the door.

Poe opens it – ready to tell Jessika that no, while he is normally up for a discussion of how to improve their formations, he’s had a rather pleasant evening and now wishes to go back to sleep – to see Rey standing there.

“Mind if I come in?” she asks, breathlessly.

Poe steps back.

“What brings you here?”

Her reply is a kiss that sends him stumbling back a few steps. He finds his balance, and wraps his arm around her waist as she continues to press up against him. They stumble back onto his bed, and her hands are up under his shirt, nails clawing down his ribs.

He opens up her vest. She hasn’t fully undressed for him, and he’s not going to press, but he enjoys the feel of her under his palms. Her muscles are taut, her whole body coiled with tension, and he truly feels it as she crashes against him. He wants to press into her, give her a few bruises to match a few of his own, but she needs to ask, and part of him knows that she isn’t going to.

They end up even less undressed than last time, her scratches a half-beat off from his thrusts, him pressing kisses to her throat while she breathes heavily into his ear.

 

*

 

Rey shows up again the next night. Poe can barely get a word out before she’s on him, one arm tight around his neck, her other hand up the back of his shirt, her nails digging into him. Her nails feel like they are longer than they were the first time they did this.

Poe navigates them back to his bed, and Rey hurriedly pulls his shirt off. He takes the moment to catch his breath, before she’s on him again, capturing his mouth in fervent kisses, nails dragging down his back. It’s not exactly pleasant.

By the third drag down, it crosses the threshold into being too painful.

Poe pulls back, wincing. “Rey–”

She follows him back down, pulling his mouth up to meet hers, fierce and frantic, her teeth biting down on his bottom lip.

Pain and blood flood his mouth, and he pulls back again. “ _Rey_.”

Rey stares up at him, panting. And then she starts crying.

A flare of panic goes through Poe. “Hey,” he says, “it’s okay.”

She shakes her head, and pulls herself off him. For a few moments she wavers on her feet, and Poe pulls her into sitting down next to him.

And then into a hug. “Shh,” he says, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “Okay, we lost our footing with each other, let’s talk this through.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I can’t do this right.”

“Trust me, Rey, you can do it right.”

“I don’t _feel_ it right.”

Poe frowns. “Okay, that you’re going to have to explain.”

“When Finn and I started sleeping together, it was enjoyable. I enjoyed it. I was happy.”

“What happened?”

“It isn’t going right.”

“What isn’t going right?”

“Training.”

Poe nods, slowly, starting to catch on. “What isn’t going right with your training?”

“Anything,” she says, tears welling in her eyes.

“I doubt that.”

She shakes her head. “Every problem I’ve ever run into, I’ve always been able to fix it. This… this I can’t.”

Poe reaches up, brushes a few strands of hair out of her face. “Rey, what happened?”

“Luke told me to let go of my sorrow,” Rey says, tears streaking down her face. “And I did. And now all that’s left is anger. I am angry at my parents for abandoning me. I am angry that I don’t know who they are. I am angry at siblings I may not even have. I am angry at Unkar Plutt for how he treated me growing up. I am angry at the First Order, I am angry at Kylo Ren, all I can feel is this _anger_ , burning me up on the inside. And Luke told me to let go of the anger, but I _can’t_. It’s stronger than the sorrow ever was.”

“Rey, I don’t think Luke was telling you not to be angry,” Poe tells her. “Life’s been hard to you, you have a right to be angry. It’s more about not letting it consume you.”

“I feel like it is,” she cries.

Poe pulls her onto his lap, and wraps his arms around her. “It hasn’t consumed you. You’re still here.”

She doesn’t reply, only raises her hand to cover her face, and shakes quietly in his arms.

He lets her cry it out, holding her tight against him, hand rubbing up and down her back. He keeps his breathing steady, hoping that she’ll be able to synchronize her breath with his. Slowly, minute by minute, her sobs die down, and he feels her breathing even out.

When she lets a shaky sigh out, Poe takes it as a good sign. “Have you talked to anyone about this?”

She shakes her head. “I tried telling Luke about it, but he only encouraged me not to _try_ to let it go, but _to_ let it go.”

“Have you thought about talking to Finn about this?”

She screws her eyes closed, a few more tears falling down her face. “I can’t,” she says, voice tight. “I feel like he would be disappointed in me.”

Poe reaches up, caresses her cheek. “I can assure you, there is nothing you could do that would ever make him feel remotely disappointed in you.”

“Not even falling to the Dark Side?”

“Maybe that,” he allows. “But you’re not falling, Rey. You’re _fighting_ it. And he would admire you all the more for that. Like I do.”

Rey looks away from him. “You shouldn’t. I _am_ falling. I’m failing. All I feel is this anger–”

“Give me a happy memory.”

She lets out a harsh laugh. “I don’t have one.”

“Yes, you do. C’mon. Give me the first thing that pops into your head.”

“The approach to Takodana,” Rey says. She closes her eyes. Her voice is tight as she continues, “But I’m angry at Han for dying. And we got to Takodana, and Finn wanted to leave, and I’ve forgiven him but I’m still angry at him for that. Everything cycles back to anger. And I can’t _stop_ it.”

“Yes you can,” he tells her. “I believe in you. Finn believes in you. C’mon.” He slides her off his lap. He pulls on his sleeping shirt – several sizes too large for him, the only thing comfortable he’s found to sleep in the past few nights – and guides Rey down the hallways to her and Finn’s quarters.

Finn is suitably alarmed when he opens the door.

“You want me here while you talk with Finn?” Poe quietly asks.

Rey shakes her head.

“What’s going on?” Finn asks, looking between the two of them. “Is everything alright? Are you two okay?”

Poe gently pushes her over to Finn, who pulls her into his arms. “You two have some talking to do,” he says, before turning and returning back to his quarters. 

He lies down on his stomach, and fitfully falls asleep.

 

*

 

Finn is waiting outside his quarters when he finally manages to make himself get out of bed the next morning.

“So, what do we do?”

Poe rubs his hand over his face. “I have no idea.”

“I want to make her happy,” Finn says, and it’s so plaintive that Poe’s heart clenches in his chest. “How do I make her happy?”

“I have no idea,” Poe repeats. It’s far too early in the morning, he’s pushed himself hard the past few days, and he’s exhausted. He feels like he’s missing something, and he doesn’t know what it is. “She said her happiest memory was the approach to Takodana. You were there. What happened?”

Finn smiles, and acts as a balm after the tension of the past few days. “She just said she didn’t know there was so much green in the universe.”

“I don’t think she would want to go back to Takodana,” Poe says, slowly.

“But,” Finn says, nodding his head, “there are a few planets and moons nearby that are pretty green.”

 

*

 

“General Organa,” Poe says. “I have a request.”

She side-eyes him. “If you’re resorting to ranks, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Poe straightens his shoulders. “I’d like to borrow the Falcon.”

Her expression goes soft and sad and contemplative for a few seconds. She takes a deep breath in, lets it out, and her expression is back to neutral. “Where are you thinking of going?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere forested. Rey needs–” Poe cuts himself off. “Rey’s not doing well, and Finn and I want to help her.”

Leia’s expression is soft. “I’m glad,” she tells him. Then repeats, “Where are you going?”

“Somewhere nearby, don’t worry. I’ll be within range if we need to defend ourselves against the First Order.” 

“I’m more concerned about you not going too far off, so to lessen the likelihood the Falcon will get recognized. Han made himself a lot of enemies. Always had a way of finding himself in trouble.” Her smile is sad, but fond.

Poe wonders if he should request another ship, but for what he’s planning, he needs the Falcon.

“Endor is nearby,” Leia says. “Ever heard of it?”

“The Forest Moon of Endor. I’ve heard it’s gorgeous.” And also very green.

“It is. The entire moon is covered in great, sweeping forests.” After a moment of silence, she adds, “Han told me about what Rey said. And Luke’s told me that he’s concerned for Rey. He senses a deep struggle within her. He doesn’t trust himself to help, not after…”

“I don’t know if I can help.”

“You can’t, not really. Luke can’t. I can’t. She has to find her own answers, all you can do is support her on the journey. If you think this will help, I encourage you to follow that.” After a beat, she adds, “Just try not to disturb the Ewoks.”

 

*

 

Poe and Finn are finishing up a late breakfast when Rey finds them.

“He cancelled training for the day,” she says, tears welling at the corner of her eyes. Frustration, not sorrow, Poe guesses.

“You want some good news to make you feel better?” Finn asks.

She wipes at her face. “What?”

“Me and Poe have a surprise for you.”

Rey narrows her eyes. “What kind of surprise?”

“The secret kind of surprise.”

She gives him a half-smile. Then sighs, and nods. “What is it? And don’t say a surprise again,” she adds, when Finn opens his mouth.

Poe smiles at them, and nods toward the doors. “We’ll show you,” he tells her.

They make their way to the hangar, and Rey slows her pace down as they approach the Falcon.

She looks between them. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere we think you’ll enjoy,” Poe tells her.

She looks uncertain. “You’re not taking me back to Jakku, are you?”

“Why–?” Finn starts, but Poe gives him a look.

“We’re not taking you back to Jakku,” Poe tells her.

She nods.

“C’mon,” he adds, as he makes his way up the loading ramp.

Finn and Rey make their way up slowly, talking quietly.

The Falcon is made to be piloted by two, but Poe wants to surprise Rey, and besides, he can fly anything. So long as they’re involved in combat, and just traveling, Poe supposes he can do it solo.

He’s finishing up the start-up sequence when Finn comes in and sits down in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Need a hand?” Finn asks.

Poe shakes his head. “I think I’ve got it for now.” The Falcon hums to life, and Poe can’t help the thrill as he starts flying up to break atmo. There’s nothing like the feel of a new ship, cataloging every little detail. He likes to think that he’s in good enough graces with Leia where she’ll let him take this ship out for a few more test runs later. For now, there are more pressing matters. “How’s Rey’s holding up?”

“She’s unhappy.”

“And how are you holding up?”

Finn shrugs. “I don’t like to see her unhappy.”

“Me either,” Poe agrees. “And I don’t like to see you unhappy.”

Finn gives him a small smile. “You’re taking this a lot better.”

He is, and he isn’t. It doesn’t really matter. “I want you to do me a favor,” Poe says.

Finn frowns at the change of subject, but nods.

“Don’t compare yourself to me. I’ve been through a few relationships, some of those rocky at times, and I’ve learned how to navigate these kinds of things. And the things I don’t, I’ve learned how to deal with that. You come from a different background, you’re learning things at your own pace. So don’t compare yourself to me, got it?”

Finn nods. After a minute, he asks, “You’re excited about flying this, aren’t you?”

“This thing ran the Kessel run in twelve parsecs,” Poe says, voice dropping into an awed whisper. “Of course I’m excited.”

Finn huffs a laugh. “It’s a nice ship,” he agrees.

“Let’s find out how nice.” And he shifts into lightspeed.

 

*

 

It’s only a short flight to Endor, which resolves Poe’s desire to take out the Falcon later. For now, he focuses on what’s important now and pulls out of lightspeed. There’s a field of detritus in the orbit of the moon, but it’s easy to navigate around.

“When do we get Rey?”

“After we break the atmosphere.”

“When’s that?”

Poe just glances at him. “You might want to buckle in for a minute.”

It’s a bit bumpier than Poe would like, between Poe not being as familiar with Corellian ships and the turbulence generated by the cloud cover, but it smooths out, and then they’re soaring above the treetops of redwood forests. Poe turns to Finn and nods.

Growing up on Yavin IV, Poe’s no stranger to forests, and so there isn’t the same novelty there will be for Rey. Still, it’s a gorgeous view.

Footsteps grow louder behind him.

He hears Rey gasp.

“Where are we?”

“The Forest Moon of Endor,” Finn tells her.

Poe lowers the Falcon slightly, getting as close down to the treetops as he feels comfortable navigating. For a long minute, it’s a silent ride. When he feels like he can take his eyes off the view while staying on course, he looks to his side.

Rey’s expression is wide open with joy, her lips parted in awe, her gaze flicking from side to side to take in the whole view.

On the other side of her, Poe sees that Finn is watching Rey as well. Their gaze meet, and Finn nods, seeming genuinely pleased.

“I never…” she starts, quietly. Her eyes are shining. She blinks a few times, then asks, “Can you land?”

Poe refrains from making any sort of quip – which all amount to the fact that of course he can land – and just nods. There aren’t any sensors to show the landscape of the area, but he keeps an eye out, landing the Falcon at the edge of the first clearing he sees.

Rey takes a few steps back, gaze still on the view outside, before she turns on her heel and sprints out of the cockpit and out of sight.

Finn follows at a sprint, Poe at a jog.

Rey has made her way towards the center of the clearing, and Poe catches up to where Finn is hanging back.

In a low tone, Finn says, “This was a really good idea.”

Poe huffs a laugh, and brushes his shoulder against Finn’s.

In the middle of the clearing, Rey raises her head up, turning around in a slow circle.

Poe glances up. The dark green tops of the trees sway against the blue and white of the sky. The view is even more beautiful from the ground floor. To his side, he sees Finn sharing in the same awed expression Rey has.

“Do you know how Master Luke has described the Force?” Rey asks, quietly.

Poe and Finn shake their heads.

“It’s energy. It surrounds every living being, growing off that life. It surrounds us, flows through us, binds every living thing together.”

Poe nods, pretending that he understands. Beside him, Finn nods as well.

“I can feel it,” she says. “I felt it, during my battle against Kylo Ren. It helped me. Settled me. I have fought to find that feeling again, but I haven’t been able to find it since I started training. I feel it now.”

This is Rey’s moment, and Poe doesn’t want to detract from it. But he needs this closure, Finn needs this closure, Rey needs this closure. “And doesn’t feel like anger, does it?”

She angles towards them, while still keeping her face skywards. “No,” she says. “It doesn’t.”

“How does it feel?”

“It feels… _I_ feel… calm. Peaceful. Grounded.”

The pebbles on the ground start to tremble, before they slowly rise into the air. Branches and twigs join them, floating up, drifting lazily in the air. Grains of dirt rise up, swirling up to join the patterns that Poe can see, patterns that he can’t. He turns to look at Finn, who is staring at the scene in wonderment. 

Poe doesn’t know how long it lasts. Him and Finn stand on the edge, watching. Rey is completely still, while a galaxy swirls around her. If Poe didn’t believe in the Force before, he almost swears he can sense it now, flowing through Rey.

The sun comes out from behind the clouds, and she turns around, luminous in the sunlight. Her smiles is radiant. “Thank you,” she says.

Poe turns to look at Finn. “I didn’t do anything. Did you do anything?”

Finn looks around. “Not me.”

Rey just laughs, the rocks and branches rippling in response. She takes a deep breath in, and lets a slow breath out, everything floating back down to settle onto the ground. For a moment, she just stares at them, the euphoric fading into a serene contentment. Then, in answer to their shared silent question, she says, “I’m exhausted.”

But good, Poe knows.

“How long are we able to be away?” she asks.

“The Resistance will be able to contact us if they need us. But we should have a few days.”

She nods. “Good. I want to take a nap.”

“There’s a grassy plain not too far away,” Poe says. “Probably going to be more comfortable than dirt.”

It’s a short flight, and then Rey is striding out into a field of wild grass. She lies down, her arms spread out, her face tilted towards the sun. After a few quiet moments, she pushes herself up a bit. “C’mere,” she tells them.

Poe settles on her left, Finn settles on her right. They both towards her slightly, Poe wrapping an arm around her middle, Finn’s fingers resting on her hip. Rey falls into a doze, her expression more relaxed and peaceful than he’s seen it.

The same goes for Finn.

And, judging by the warm smile on Finn’s face, the same goes for Poe.


End file.
